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Motion Picture Association to Meta: Stop Calling Instagram “PG-13”🚨🚨🚨

Meta’s latest move to label Instagram’s teen accounts as “PG-13” has sparked backlash from Hollywood’s top film watchdog.

In October, Meta (META $639.30, +1.91%) announced a new content filtering system for Instagram Teen Accounts, saying the platform would by default restrict mature content to a “PG-13 level.” But the Motion Picture Association (MPA) — which actually created and manages the official film rating system — wasn’t pleased.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the MPA’s law firm sent Meta a cease-and-desist letter, accusing the company of misusing its trademarked ratings scale and potentially damaging the credibility of the film industry’s long-standing content standards.

The MPA argued that Meta’s algorithm-driven moderation systems are far less reliable than its human-reviewed film rating process — and that associating the two could erode public trust.

“Any dissatisfaction with Meta’s automated classification will inevitably cause the public to question the integrity of the MPA’s rating system,” the letter warned.

Meta responded by clarifying that it never claimed Instagram’s content was certified by the MPA, only that the restrictions were “PG-13-like” to help parents understand what younger users might see.

Still, the confrontation underscores a growing tension between Big Tech and traditional media gatekeepers over who gets to define what’s “safe” for teens online — especially as social platforms face mounting pressure from regulators, parents, and lawmakers to curb exposure to harmful content.